Part II. The Local Universe

At Gilboa and in the Decapolis

SEPTEMBER and October were spent in retirement at a secluded camp upon the slopes of Mount Gilboa. The month of September Jesus spent here alone with his apostles, teaching and instructing them in the truths of the kingdom.

There were a number of reasons why Jesus and his apostles were in retirement at this time on the borders of Samaria and the Decapolis. The Jerusalem religious rulers were very antagonistic; Herod Antipas still held John in prison, fearing either to release or execute him, while he continued to entertain suspicions that John and Jesus were in some way associated. These conditions made it unwise to plan for aggressive work in either Judea or Galilee. There was a third reason: the slowly augmenting tension between the leaders of John’s disciples and the apostles of Jesus, which grew worse with the increasing number of believers.

Jesus knew that the days of the preliminary work of teaching and preaching were about over, that the next move involved the beginning of the full and final effort of his life on earth, and he did not wish the launching of this undertaking to be in any manner either trying or embarrassing to John the Baptist. Jesus had therefore decided to spend some time in retirement rehearsing his apostles and then to do some quiet work in the cities of the Decapolis until John should be either executed or released to join them in a united effort.

--Presented by the Midwayer Commission, from the Urantia Papers.

The Gilboa Encampment
While tarrying on Gilboa, Jesus told the twelve much about his early life and his experiences on Mount Hermon...

The Discourse on Prayer
“Prayer is entirely a personal and spontaneous expression of the attitude of the soul toward the spirit...

The Believer's Prayer
But the apostles were not yet satisfied; they desired Jesus to give them a model prayer which they could teach the new disciples.

More about Prayer
For days after the discourse on prayer the apostles continued to ask the Master questions regarding this all-important and worshipful practice.

Other Forms of Prayer
From time to time, during the remainder of Jesus’ sojourn on earth, he brought to the notice of the apostles several additional forms of prayer, but he did this only in illustration...

Conference with John's Apostles
Around the first of October, Philip and some of his fellow apostles were in a near-by village buying food when they met some of the apostles of John the Baptist.

In the Decapolis Cities
Throughout the months of November and December, Jesus and the twenty-four worked quietly in the Greek cities of the Decapolis, chiefly in Scythopolis, Gerasa, Abila, and Gadara.

In Camp near Pella
The latter part of December they all went over near the Jordan, close by Pella, where they again began to teach and preach.